Photo by Daniel Melograna/Sentinel-Tribune
Beach ready to be back carving, after a year off
Drew Terhall
August 1, 2021
Woodcarver Dennis Beach is eager to get back on stage and perform at the Wood County Fair.
Beach has been woodcarving for the past 37 years. He didn’t take any classes on woodcarving or didn’t have a mentor to learn from. Beach was on his own trying to figure out how to carve.
“I kept carving through the years. I improved slowly,” he said.
Throughout the years, Beach has won several wood carving competitions across the U.S. He also won international competitions.
To go along with competitions, Beach performs at county fairs around the U.S. He said he doesn’t do as many competitions now because they are around the same time as the fairs he attends.
Beach enjoys both the competitions and the fairs. But to Beach, there is something about having an audience present while carving at the fairs.
“I like the showtimes. I like to have a whole audience watching while I’m up on stage carving,” he said.
Like many others, the COVID pandemic hit Beach hard. He said at the beginning of it, the motor and the frame of his truck went bad.
Beach said he hustled to get a new truck ready for the summer. Then as states began to shut down, Beach was told by the fairs that they were closing. He was out of work for the summer.
“I sank into a depression. I was so geared up to go to fairs and then all of a sudden, all of the fairs are closed. They (fairs) came out and told me I was non-essential,” Beach said.
After getting himself out of his depression, Beach decided to make the most out of his summer.
Beach spent most of his summer fishing. He said he bought some new hiking boots, camping equipment and a fishing pole.
This was Beach’s first summer vacation in years. He said he hasn’t had a summer off since he was in high school.
Now, Beach is back on the fair circuit carving in front of large crowds. He said a fair he performed at earlier this summer had their attendance records broken this year.
Beach has carved at the Wood County Fair for the past 27 years. He will be performing Aug. 2-Aug. 8 behind Babyland this year. He will carve four times a day.
To go along with his new truck, Beach will have new tools to display at the fair. He also has some new carvings to do. Beach said by the time he gets to the fair, he will have practiced doing the new carvings at the previous fairs.
There will also be new music playing while Beach carves. He said after 15 years of playing Bob Seger, he has caught up with the times.
“My daughter brought me up into the world of technology, so now I have a Spotify,” Beach said.
Beach is excited to see the Wood County Fair crowd again. He likes the energy that the crowd brings.
“I look forward to when I’m done carving, a big applause from the crowd. Some fairs I go to don’t applaud, they just sit there,” Beach said.
Beach is also excited for the fair in general. He said he likes the “downhome feel” of the fair.
He is set up near the barn and the animals. Beach said everyday at the fair reminds him of his childhood. He was raised in farm country.
“It’s always nice to wake up in the morning and have a bunch of animals coming by the camper and go into the show arena,” Beach said.
Beach said he was getting a little burnt out on fairs. He still enjoyed them, but the physical and mental work was starting to take a toll on him.
After having the summer off, Beach is excited to carve at fairs with a new outlook on his work.
“That break really helped me. I’m coming back at it looking at fairs from a different angle, more positive than I have in the last few years.”
Beach ready to be back carving, after a year off
Drew Terhall
August 1, 2021
Woodcarver Dennis Beach is eager to get back on stage and perform at the Wood County Fair.
Beach has been woodcarving for the past 37 years. He didn’t take any classes on woodcarving or didn’t have a mentor to learn from. Beach was on his own trying to figure out how to carve.
“I kept carving through the years. I improved slowly,” he said.
Throughout the years, Beach has won several wood carving competitions across the U.S. He also won international competitions.
To go along with competitions, Beach performs at county fairs around the U.S. He said he doesn’t do as many competitions now because they are around the same time as the fairs he attends.
Beach enjoys both the competitions and the fairs. But to Beach, there is something about having an audience present while carving at the fairs.
“I like the showtimes. I like to have a whole audience watching while I’m up on stage carving,” he said.
Like many others, the COVID pandemic hit Beach hard. He said at the beginning of it, the motor and the frame of his truck went bad.
Beach said he hustled to get a new truck ready for the summer. Then as states began to shut down, Beach was told by the fairs that they were closing. He was out of work for the summer.
“I sank into a depression. I was so geared up to go to fairs and then all of a sudden, all of the fairs are closed. They (fairs) came out and told me I was non-essential,” Beach said.
After getting himself out of his depression, Beach decided to make the most out of his summer.
Beach spent most of his summer fishing. He said he bought some new hiking boots, camping equipment and a fishing pole.
This was Beach’s first summer vacation in years. He said he hasn’t had a summer off since he was in high school.
Now, Beach is back on the fair circuit carving in front of large crowds. He said a fair he performed at earlier this summer had their attendance records broken this year.
Beach has carved at the Wood County Fair for the past 27 years. He will be performing Aug. 2-Aug. 8 behind Babyland this year. He will carve four times a day.
To go along with his new truck, Beach will have new tools to display at the fair. He also has some new carvings to do. Beach said by the time he gets to the fair, he will have practiced doing the new carvings at the previous fairs.
There will also be new music playing while Beach carves. He said after 15 years of playing Bob Seger, he has caught up with the times.
“My daughter brought me up into the world of technology, so now I have a Spotify,” Beach said.
Beach is excited to see the Wood County Fair crowd again. He likes the energy that the crowd brings.
“I look forward to when I’m done carving, a big applause from the crowd. Some fairs I go to don’t applaud, they just sit there,” Beach said.
Beach is also excited for the fair in general. He said he likes the “downhome feel” of the fair.
He is set up near the barn and the animals. Beach said everyday at the fair reminds him of his childhood. He was raised in farm country.
“It’s always nice to wake up in the morning and have a bunch of animals coming by the camper and go into the show arena,” Beach said.
Beach said he was getting a little burnt out on fairs. He still enjoyed them, but the physical and mental work was starting to take a toll on him.
After having the summer off, Beach is excited to carve at fairs with a new outlook on his work.
“That break really helped me. I’m coming back at it looking at fairs from a different angle, more positive than I have in the last few years.”